Trump Reveals He Will Visit China in Spring After Call with Xi Jinping

Placeholder Leaders in Discussion

Former President Donald Trump has declared that he agreed to visit China's capital in the month of April and invited Chinese President Xi Jinping for a diplomatic trip in the coming year, following a discussion between the two leaders.

Trump and Xi—who convened about a month back in Korea—covered a series of matters including economic relations, the Ukraine conflict, the opioid crisis, and the island of Taiwan, per the U.S. leader and Beijing's diplomatic corps.

"Our relationship with China is very robust!" Trump posted in a social media update.

Beijing's press outlet published a announcement that said both states should "maintain progress, proceed in the right direction on the foundation of fairness, mutual respect and common gain".

Prior Engagement and Commerce Progress

The officials held discussions in the South Korean city of Busan in the fall, after which they reached a ceasefire on import duties. The United States chose to reduce a 20 percent duty by half intended to decrease the movement of the drug fentanyl.

Duties remain on Chinese goods and stand at close to half.

"Since then, the bilateral relations has mostly kept a stable and upward path, and this is welcomed by the two countries and the broader international community," the Chinese statement said.

  • The US then withdrew a threat of 100% additional tariffs on Chinese goods, while Beijing put off its scheme to implement its latest round of rare earth export controls.

Commerce Discussions

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the phone discussion with Xi—which went on for an hour—was centered on economic issues.

"The U.S. is happy with what we've seen from the Chinese, and they feel the same way," she said.

Broader Topics

Along with addressing commerce, Xi and Trump broached the issues of the conflict in Ukraine and the Taiwan situation.

Xi told Trump that the island's "integration into China" is vital for Beijing's perspective for the "post-war international order".

The Chinese government has been engaged in a foreign policy clash with Japan, a American partner, over the long-term "vague stance" on the sovereignty of Taiwan.

Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that an eventual military action by China on Taiwan could compel a reaction by Tokyo's army.

Trump, however, did not refer to the Taiwan issue in his social media update about the conversation.

America's envoy to Tokyo, George Glass, had earlier stated that the United States stands with Japan in the context of Beijing's "coercion".

Vanessa Mack
Vanessa Mack

A seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter in today's fast-paced world.